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Summer citrus marketers plan product additions

Expect additions to the summer citrus category in the coming years, from importers and from domestic grower-shippers.

The sweet meyer lemon program continues to expand as it gains popularity in the specialty category at Limoneira Co., Santa Paula, Calif., said Alex Teague, senior vice president and chief operating officer. But the big news is the eye-catching, variegated pink lemon.

The trees are still young, but Huckabay said customer demand is driving the cara cara deal.

“They want more varieties of citrus,” he said.

Buyers have seen the California cara caras perform well during the winter, he said, and they hope to see a strong performance during the summer, as well.

The same Chilean growers who produce the company’s regular navels will offer the cara caras.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods will be able to offer cara caras in half-cartons or high-graphic bags, which many retailers request in order to distinguish them from regular navels.

The company makes every effort to fill the needs of its customers, Huckabay said.

“If there is demand for citrus that we are not bringing in, we can make adjustments to source it and have it available during the summer,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chilean growers continue to look at technologies that help prevent seeds from showing up in clementines and mandarins, said Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of North America for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, Sonoma, Calif.

The seed problem, which has to do with pollen drift, has vexed California growers, as well, he said.

Finally, The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia, will import “small, trial quantities” of tango mandarins grown in Chile and Peru, said James Milne, director of marketing and citrus category director.

The fruit, similar to those grown in California, are “a true seedless clementine,” he said.